How To Enable The Virtual Touchpad In Windows 10

The Windows 10 Creators Update brought new features and stability. There was a great deal of emphasis on touch screen devices. In fact, the update was marketed alongside the Surface Studio which has a very large, very impressive touch-screen. The update, as per its name, was aimed at people who create content but there are features in the Creators Update that ordinary users find useful. If you have a two-in-one tablet PC, the update has added a virtual touchpad. The virtual touchpad in Windows 10 works via an on-screen interface that mimics the look and functionality of an actual touchpad.

You cannot enable the virtual touchpad in Windows 10 unless you have a two-in-one tablet PC. Even if you switch to tablet mode on a regular PC, the option will not appear. You must be running the Creators Update.

Enable The Virtual Touchpad In Windows 10

Right-click on the taskbar and look for the ‘Show touchpad button’ option in the context menu.

Click it and a button resembling a touchpad will be added to the system tray. If you have the touch keyboard button enabled, the touchpad button will appear next to it.

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Using The Virtual Touchpad In Windows 10

It takes a little getting used to with the virtual touchpad. The virtual keyboard is a lot easier to manage because you use it only when you have a text input field. With the virtual touchpad, a part of your screen is covered and it might just be the part that you want to right-click or left-click on. The touchpad has both a left-click and right-click button. You can drag and reposition the touchpad to a different area of the screen. It can recognize some gestures but not all of them. You shouldn’t expect the full precision touchpad experience. You can scroll a web page and tap with two fingers to right-click.

The touchpad can’t be resized and honestly there’s no point there. If it were smaller, it would be difficult to use. If it were larger, it would cover your screen more than it already does. By the look of it, and from a few tests it doesn’t seem like the easiest thing to get used to. It doesn’t even feel much like an improvement but if you’re used to a two-in-one PC and you’ve used it for a while you might have a different experience. If anything, this might be useful for people with special needs.